


Skating on Thin Ice

by Hershey_chan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, And Of Course - Freeform, Angst, Drowning, Elemental Magic, Fairy Tale Elements, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Ice Skating, M/M, Magic, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-10-11 10:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hershey_chan/pseuds/Hershey_chan
Summary: Once upon a time, a young man named Yuuri Katsuki was forced from his home, and he sought refuge in the mysterious forest bordering Hasetsu Kingdom.  Unbeknownst to him, the forest was home to a lonely ice elemental by the name of Victor.  Injured, with nowhere else to go, the shy and anxious Yuuri has no choice but to trust the strange and beautiful Victor.





	1. Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there was a boy name Yuuri Katsuki, who lived with his mother, father, and sister in the wintery kingdom of Hasetsu in a house that sat on the edge of a massive forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.

 

Yuuri was a bright and beautiful child, but he found himself too shy to interact with the other townspeople.  In fact, his timid mannerisms made him a target for mockery from the other children, so as years went on, Yuuri drew further and further in on himself.  In fact, he refused to go anywhere without one of his family members and struggled whenever he was prompted to speak with anyone else.

 

Therefore, Toshiya and Hiroko gifted Yuuri with a chocolate-colored poodle for his eighth birthday, hoping that he could be a loyal companion for their lonely son.  Naturally, Yuuri had been overjoyed, burying his tear-streaked face in his new friend’s soft fur.

 

“What are you going to name him, Yuuri?”  His mother asked with a full-faced smile.

 

“Hmmm…”  Yuuri held the dog at arm’s length, staring seriously into his face.  “I don’t know yet.  Can I think about it?”

 

His father laughed heartily, “Of course, son.  You take as much time as you need.  Now, how about you take him outside and play for a while?”

 

Yuuri bounced with excitement while his parents forced him into his coat and boots before they would let him go outside.  Finally free, Yuuri ran out of the house, giggling as his puppy chased after him.

 

“Come back before dark!”  His mother called from the doorway, happy for their son.

 

Yuuri acknowledged his mother with a wave of his hand before diving into the tree line of the forest.

 

For the first time in his life, Yuuri felt excited to go outside, for he had never had a friend to play with before.  They ran through the trees, chasing each other happily.  Looking behind him at his dog, Yuuri didn’t notice the rock that was sticking out of the ground in front of him until his foot struck it, and he fell to the ground hard.

 

Yuuri lay there stunned for a moment, only breaking out of it when he felt his puppy nosing at his hair, whimpering.  He struggled to sit up, gasping in pain.  Fat droplets of blood dripped down his face to stain the white snow.  He raised a gloved hand to his aching nose, only to sob in pain as soon as he touched it.

 

The only thought in his mind was that he needed his parents, so with one hand covering his bleeding nose, Yuuri pushed himself onto his feet.  Looking around, he realized in a panic that he was lost and began to cry in earnest.

 

“Do you remember the way home, boy?”  Yuuri tried to ask his friend.  The dog just whined and pressed himself against the frightened boy’s legs.

 

It was then that Yuuri could swear that he heard something, so he decided to make his way towards it, having no other options.

 

As he moved on, the sounds got louder.  There was an odd scraping, swishing kind of noise that he didn’t recognize, interrupted periodically by a crashing sound.  More importantly, he could hear humming, which meant there was a person close by.  Yuuri started running, the puppy right on his heels.  Moments later, he broke through the tree line into a clearing, stopping short at the sight before him.

 

There was an _angel_ in front of him, gliding gracefully on a frozen lake.  The angel wore glittering clothes that caught the light as they spun, with impossibly long silver hair decorated with blue flowers.

 

“Wow!”  Yuuri exclaimed in wonder, so enraptured that he completely forgot about his pain.

 

Suddenly the figure stopped dancing, whipping their face around to lock eyes with an equally startled Yuuri.  He was suddenly self-conscious about how he must look, face blotchy from crying and smeared with blood.  They stared at each other for a moment before the angel smiled gently and approached him slowly.

 

“Hello there!  Where did you come from?”

 

Yuuri took a few frantic steps backwards, uncomfortable with a stranger so close to him, regardless of how beautiful that stranger might be.

 

The angel stopped where they were, crouching down to place them both on equal levels.

 

“Hey, it’s alright.  Is this your dog?  He looks just like my Makkachin.”  They turned their head and whistled, and a few seconds later a large brown poodle burst through the tree line to join them.

 

Yuuri gasped, watching with even more wonder as the two dogs started sniffing each other excitedly.  “He’s like my dog, but bigger!”

 

“That’s right!  Isn’t that an amazing coincidence?  What is your dog’s name?”

 

Yuuri was still a little nervous, but seeing the two dogs completely at ease made him feel like maybe it was okay to trust them.  “I haven’t picked a name for him yet.  I want to make sure it’s perfect.”

 

“That’s very thoughtful of you.  A name is a very important thing, after all.”  They slowly shuffled a little closer to the anxious boy.  “I think that I can trust you with mine.  I am called Victor.”

 

Yuuri wrung his hands together, looking into the stranger’s earnest eyes, before replying quietly.  “I’m Yuuri…”

 

The other smiled widely at him.  “Yuuri!  What a sweet name for such a beautiful human!”

 

“Are you an angel?”  Burst from Yuuri’s lips before he could stop himself.

 

Victor blinked at him in surprise before bursting into laughter.  “An angel?  No, no, nothing so perfect as an angel.  I’m a simple elemental, but I can do magic.  Would you like to see?”

 

Yuuri nodded eagerly, feeling more and more comfortable with Victor’s easy nature.  Victor winked at him before he raising his hands into the air.

 

Snow swirled up off the ground, following the path of his hands.  It spun in circles, tighter and tighter, until it came together in a flash of light between Victor’s hands.  Hands opened up to reveal a glittering, ice statue of a dog.

 

“Wow!!!!  Is that my doggy?”  Victor nodded at him, holding the statue out to him.  “You want me to have it?”

 

“Of course!  I made it special just for you, though unfortunately it will melt soon.”

 

“T-thank you.”  Yuuri’s face flushed, not used to anyone other than his family being so nice to him.

 

“Now Yuuri, I’m really glad that I got to meet you today, but it’s getting late and you look like you need some tender love and care.  How about I help you find your way home?”

 

Yuuri nodded, gratefully taking Victor’s outstretched hand.  They walked back into the trees, chatting happily for the whole walk home.  Soon enough, Yuuri could see the edge of the forest and could hear his family calling for him.

 

He waved goodbye to his new friend Victor as he sprinted through the trees towards his mother.

 

“Oh no, Yuuri, what happened to your nose?”  His mother asked, cupping his cheeks carefully so that she could examine his face.

 

Pain that had been forgotten bubbled back to the surface, and Yuuri sniffled and let his parents usher him back inside.  Victor smiled forlornly from where he stood, hidden in the shadows of the forest, and he turned and made his way back home with Makkachin by his side.

 

Later that night, when Yuuri was in bed, he excitedly told his parents that he knew exactly what he wanted to name his new dog.

 

“Victor!”

 

Though his dog would carry the name Victor, which soon became just Vicchan, Yuuri became convinced that his ice angel was a beautiful dream, and the encounter was lost to time as most childhood memories were.

 

* * *

 

**Fifteen years later**

 

Yuuri sprinted away from his childhood home, from his family, from his _life_ as fast as his legs would carry him.  With nowhere else to go, Yuuri dove into the forest.

 

He couldn’t bear to look behind him, wiping tears from his eyes as he ran.  Unfortunately, that left him blinded from the sudden drop before him, and he tumbled down the slope before coming to a stop as his body slammed into a tree at the bottom.

 

Yuuri was dazed, and it was several minutes before he could sit up.  He groaned as the world spun around him and his head throbbed.  He took a moment to get his bearings and then used the tree he had hit to pull himself up.  Another hiss of pain escaped his lips the second that he put weight on his right foot.

 

 _Great…  I’m alone in the forest with a broken ankle and a concussion..._   Yuuri thought to himself in defeat.  In all honesty, the whole situation just seemed so typical with his terrible luck.  He sighed and continued into the forest, limping, with one hand pressed to his aching forehead, knowing that he needed to find shelter if he wanted to survive the night.

 

Yuuri was cold, colder than he had ever been before.  Having left his home in such a hurry, he didn’t have time to put on more than a pair of loose boots.  Wrapping his arms around his midsection, he thought that the one positive was that his feet were now so numb that he could barely feel the pain in his ankle.

 

An unknowable amount of time passed before he heard some strangely familiar scraping sounds accompanied by humming.  Filled with no small amount of trepidation, he dragged himself towards the sound, enraptured by the nostalgia of it all.

 

Peaking around a tree, he could see into a clearing where a silver-haired man glided elegantly across an ice-covered pond.  The man’s face, while beautiful, was mournful in a way that contrasted what was otherwise an intimate and romantic dance.  Before he realized it, Yuuri had crept around the tree to get a closer view.

 

“Wow…”  breathlessly escaped Yuuri’s lips before he realized what he was doing.  He slammed his hands over his mouth, but the damage was done.

 

The man stopped moving and looked over at him, eyes wide and unreadable.  Yuuri stared back, too tired and cold and achy to try and run anymore.

 

“Yuuri?”  The man asked suddenly.

 

Yuuri felt the blood drain out of his face as horror washed over him, and he found himself backing up until he hit a tree.

 

“H-h-how d-do y-y-you know m-my n-n-n-name?” He struggled to speak around chattering teeth.

 

Before either of them could say anything further, a mass of brown fur rush forward and leapt on Yuuri.

 

Yuuri yelped in pain as he slammed back into the tree.  His already aching head ignited in fresh agony, and his vision faded to black.


	2. Mutual Friends

The first thing that Yuuri was aware of when he woke up was that he was far too cold and it was bright, so bright that it blinded him even through his eyelids.  He groaned and tried to roll over to bury his face in his pillow, only to be stopped by a wave of dizziness.  He felt himself gagging, and hands helped him roll over so that he could vomit over the side of the bed.

 

Stomach empty and initial dizziness subsiding to a throb in his skull, Yuuri finally opened his eyes.  His vision was hazy, but cleared slightly after he blinked rapidly.  Before him was the most attractive man he’d ever seen.  The man had blue eyes that glittered with tears from beneath a furrowed brow.  His hair was a shining silver, haloed with the very same light that was blinding Yuuri.

 

It took him a few moments to realize that the man was speaking to him, only noticing once he saw the man’s lips moving.  His ears seemed like they were stuffed with cotton, the sound muffled.  Yuuri blinked a few more times, trying his hardest to focus on the words coming from the man.

 

“-ri!  Please, can you understand me?”

 

“Mmrrph.”  Not Yuuri’s most eloquent answer.  He tried again, this time with more success.  “Who are you?”

 

The man looked a little taken aback.  “You really don’t…  My name is Victor.”

 

Yuuri let out a short laugh that sounded more like a wheeze.  “That’s what I named my dog.”

 

Suddenly, Yuuri started crying.

 

“Yuuri, what’s wrong?”  Victor asked frantically, hands dancing over Yuuri’s body to try to figure out where he was hurt.  “I’m going to call my friend.  He knows about human medicine.”  Victor moved out of Yuuri’s line of sight.

 

Yuuri felt his consciousness starting to fade again, and let his eyes fall shut again.  A moment later, he reopened them when he felt hands gripping his face.

 

Victor was before him again, astonishingly looking even more concerned than he had before.

 

“My friend is on the way.  He can help.  Can you tell me where it hurts?”  Victor spoke slowly, for which Yuuri was very appreciative since Victor seemed to now have two heads, making it impossible to read his lips.

 

“Mmm…” Yuuri struggled to find his words.  “Head… ankle… I’m cold…”

 

There was a puff of air, and suddenly there was a third person in the room with them.

 

“Victor, it’s quite a surprise to get a call from you!  What can I do for- YUURI?!?”

 

The new addition rushed over, shoving Victor unceremoniously out of the way to get to Yuuri.  Confused, Yuuri got his eyes to focus on the new face in front of him.

 

“Phichit?”  Yuuri was shocked to say the least.  His body seemed to decide that this latest surprise was just too much, and unconsciousness claimed him again.

 

* * *

 

 

Victor sat where he was sprawled on the floor after being pushed by Phichit, bewildered by the turn of events.

 

“You two know each other?”

 

Phichit turned to him, looking frazzled.  “That’s what I should be asking.  But we don’t have time for that right now.  What’s wrong with him?”

 

“He said his head and ankle hurt and that he was cold.”

 

Phichit nodded, hands palpated various areas on Yuuri.  “Concussion… broken ankle… mild hypothermia.”

 

He locked eyes with Victor again.  “I can treat his wounds, but there’s not much that I can do to warm him up since I’m just an earth elemental, and I don’t suppose there’s much you can do as an ice elemental.”

 

Victor sighed, frustrated not for the first time at his ice magics.  “I have a room that’s better suited for warmth.  I can summon Yuri while we move him.”

 

Together, they lifted the unconscious human, careful to not do further damage.  Victor telepathically called out to his other friend Yuri, who just so happened to be a fire elemental.

 

Just as they were laying Yuuri on the bed in this new room, Yuri appeared in a puff of hot smoke with a deep frown on his face.

 

“Victor, you can’t just call me whenever you’re bored.”  He looked around, taking in the scene around him.  “Why is there a _human_ sleeping in my bed?”

 

“Hello to you, too, Yuri!”  Phichit called cheerfully, without looking away from his work treating Yuuri’s wounds.

 

Yuri expressly ignored him, turning furious to Victor.  “Well?!”

 

“This is the only room in my palace with a fireplace.  Can you be a dear and light it for me?”  Victor smiled at the fire elemental, well accustomed to his anger.

 

“No, Victor.  You can’t just call me whenever you want just to make me do stuff for you.”

 

“Please, Yuri?”  Victor put on his best puppy-eyes.  “It’ll only take you a second, and Yuuri needs to warm up or he’ll die!”

 

Yuri’s face contorted in rage, pointing at the other Yuuri.  “That pig is _Yuuri_?  Based on all your stories, I would have thought there was something special about him.”

 

Nevertheless, Yuri flicked one of his hands, and suddenly the large fireplace roared with flames, heating the room almost instantly.

 

“Don’t forget that humans are dangerous, Victor.”  With that, Yuri flicked Victor off and disappeared.

 

“He sure is a joy, isn’t he?”  Phichit asked, finally stepping back from his injured friend.

 

Victor shook his head with a smile.  “Yuri just likes to act tough, but he’s really a softy deep down.  So is this Yuuri going to be okay?”

 

“Yep, he only had a minor concussion, which should resolve itself in a few days without any complications.  His ankle is much worse off, so it’ll be at least 6 weeks before he can put any weight on it.”

 

Victor nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

 

“Now that the crisis is averted, I’m curious as to why Yuuri is here?”

 

“He just wandered out of the woods and stumbled upon me ice skating.”  Victor told Phichit. “Which is actually how we first met as well.  He was just a boy then, but we became fast friends.  Although it seems like he doesn’t remember me at all…”

 

Victor let his gaze drop to the ground.  That interaction had meant so much to him, it having the most interesting interaction he’d ever had in his grey life.  He shook himself out of it and asked, “But how do you know Yuuri?”

 

Phichit rubbed the back of his neck as he answered.  “Up until about 6 months ago, we were living together in Detroit Kingdom.  He traveled there a few years ago to study dance.  Apparently he’s some kind of savant, and he’d already mastered every style of dance that’s taught in Hasestu and the neighboring kingdoms.  Oh, if only you could see him move…  Anyway, I was actually studying dance with the same instructor, and we became fast friends.  Yuuri’s very shy, but he’s the best person I’ve ever met, human or spirit.”

 

Victor tried to tamp down the envy that he was feeling right now, knowing that it was originating from his own insecurity.  Not only did his powers make relationships with humans strained, but the one that he’d thought he had a connection with didn’t even remember him…

 

“Look, Victor…  The reason he left Detroit 6 months ago was because he received a letter from home that his dog had passed away.  I can’t even describe how upset he was.”  Phichit’s form flickered a little bit.  “I can’t stay away from my domain much longer, so can I ask you to look after Yuuri for me?”

 

Victor’s heart clenched as he looked down at Yuuri, whose face looked very peaceful at the moment.  He could certainly understand the overwhelming sadness from such a loss.

 

“Of course I’ll take care of him.  He’s my friend, too, even if he doesn’t remember me.  I swear on my soul that I will protect him.”

 

As Victor bid farewell to Phichit, neither of the elementals seemed to feel the ominous weight that those words carried.

 

Instead, Victor whistled to summon Makkachin, who gladly rushed into the room and up on the bed to curl along Yuuri’s side.  Victor smiled, one hand brushing hair off of Yuuri’s face before he settled into a nearby chair to wait for him to wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Detroit Kingdom" is probably the dumbest sounding thing I've ever written.


	3. Second Chance at a First Impression

 

The next time Yuuri woke up, he was pleasantly warm and cozy, though there was an annoying throbbing in the back of his skull.  He was very tempted to go back to sleep to try and rid himself of the headache, and probably would have were it not for the fact that Vicchan was breathing on his face.

 

 _He probably wants food_. Yuuri thought as he cracked his eyes open, only to see dog on the bed with him that, no matter how much he looked like Vicchan, was definitely _not_ …

 

Pushing himself up in some amount of alarm, Yuuri barely noticed that he had woken up the doppelganger poodle.  His eyes shot around the room only to discover that this wasn’t his room and he had no idea where he was.  He was also struck with a small wave of dizziness that made him cover his face with his hands to stop the world from spinning.

 

“Uuuuggghhh…”  Yuuri groaned loudly, but felt a little more grounded when he felt the dog start sniffing at his head and trying to lick past his hands to get at his face.  Uncovering his face with a small huff of laughter, he finally conceded to pet his companion.  “Alright, alright…  I don’t suppose that you could tell me where I am?”

 

“No, but I can!”  An accented voice spoke loudly from a doorway that Yuuri hadn’t even heard opening.

 

“AAAUUUUUUGGGGGH!!!!”  Yuuri let out an entirely undignified scream, shoving himself violently backwards until he hit the corner of the walls surrounding the bed.  He pulled the blankets up to his chin in a white-knuckled grip as though it might protect him from the stranger that had just appeared in the room with him.

 

“Oh my goodness!  I’m so sorry, Yuuri!  I didn’t mean to frighten you.”  To be fair, the silver-haired man truly did look apologetic, with hands outstretched like a peace offering.

 

“Wh-wh-who are y-you?”

 

A flicker of sadness crossed the man’s face before his smile returned.  “My name is Victor, my dear friend, and you are in my domain.  I don’t know what brought you here, but I’m happy to help you in any way that I can.”

 

Yuuri cocked his head to the side, trying to analyze this man and figure out what his intentions were.  It was only then that Yuuri realized the man was _completely naked and dripping water_.  A hot blush spread across his face, all the way up to his ears and down his throat.  With trembling hands, he pulled the blanket up farther to cover his head.

 

“Why are you naked?”  Yuuri’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

 

“Oh!  I sometimes like to soak in the hot springs.  When I heard you wake up, I was so excited to see you that I seem to have forgotten about your human customs about nudity.  Give me a moment.”

 

Yuuri could hear some rustling and he calmed down enough to draw in a deep breath and ask “What do you mean by saying ‘human customs’ as though you aren’t a human?”

 

The rustling stopped and Yuuri deemed it safe enough to lower the blanket, relieved to find that Victor was now fully clothed and not looking the least bit embarrassed.

 

“Of course I’m not human!  I’m an ice elemental.”  Victor said as though it was the most normal thing in the world, as though _Yuuri_ was the strange one for not knowing.  Regardless, Yuuri was immediately curious, having always had a fascination with magic since he was a child.

 

“So you have ice magic?  What can you do with it?  Why is there a fire in here?  Is it bad for you to go into the hot springs?”  Yuuri didn’t even realize that he had started leaning away from his corner.

 

Victor looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before he burst out laughing.  “You do surprise me, Yuuri.  I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but a little warmth won’t harm me and I appreciate the elements of my brethren.  As for ice magic…”

 

Yuuri watched in wonder as Victor waved his hands gracefully through the air, seeming to collect water and chill from the air to create an ice statue in his hand.  With a final flourish, he presented to Yuuri, a delicate figurine of a poodle puppy.

 

With an unknown emotion in his chest, Yuuri reached out with a shaking hand to grasp it gingerly in his palms.  There was something so strangely familiar about the thing, and it looked so much like Vicchan looked when we first got him all those years ago.

 

“Unfortunately it will begin melting once I release my magic from it, but you may keep it for a while if you would like.”

 

Yuuri nodded silently, turning the piece of ice over in his hands almost reverently.

 

Victor cleared his throat, breaking Yuuri from his trance and bringing his attention back to him.

 

“I believe I owe you one more apology on behalf of Makkachin,” Victor said, indicating the dog that was still sitting on the bed with Yuuri.  “He was so excited to see you when you entered my clearing that he ended up hurting you on top of your existing injuries.”

 

Yuuri was suddenly aware again of the aching in his head and his ankle now that he was paying attention.  He thought hard and could remember the scene in the clearing:  The very same silver-haired man skating beautifully across the ice, the flash of brown, the flash of pain…  He tried to think back before that and recalled his harried sprint through the forest and his tumble down a hill into a tree.  Before that…  Yuuri didn’t want to think about it yet.

 

“How long have I been unconscious?”

 

“About three days.”  That was something for Yuuri to process. “Though you did seem to wake up for a short time when I first brought you inside and had Phichit tend to you.”

 

“Phichit!  He was here!”  Yuuri shouted in bewilderment, vaguely recalling seeing his best friend’s face.  “Why?  _How_?”

 

“Phichit is one of my kind, so he came to help.”

 

“He’s an ice elemental?!?!”

 

Victor laughed heartily again, “No, naturally not.  He’s such a typical earth elemental it’s ridiculous.  Could you even imagine him having ice powers?”

 

Yuuri felt his heart rate rising, and his breath started coming in gasps.  This was too much.  He was dreaming; it was the only thing that made sense.  This was just another one of his childish dreams about befriending magical creatures.  His vision started to black out around the edges.

 

He yelped as frigid palms pressed against his face, jerking back and looking up with wild eyes.

 

Victor was standing before him with his hands outstretched, looking stricken.  “I’m sorry, I wanted to help.  I forgot that my hands are too cold for you.”

 

Suddenly, sleek black gloves materialized over his hands, and Yuuri didn’t have the strength to ask how Victor had done that, nor the energy to tell him that he didn’t mind the temperature so much as he was just startled.

 

Instead, Yuuri fell back onto the bed and was quickly pulled back to sleep.


	4. Strangers to Something More

The next couple weeks were some of the strangest of Yuuri’s entire life.  He spent most of his time confined to bed; his head injury had healed rather quickly, but his ankle prevented him for doing much other than limping short distances with the help of some crutches Victor has given him.  He had nothing to occupy his time aside from getting to know his knew companions.

 

Makkachin was not so complicated to figure out.  After all, he was a dog similar to his own late Vicchan, though Yuuri found that having a surrogate furry friend have helped to ease the raw pain of losing his own pet so recently.  Logically, Yuuri understood that Vicchan was getting older, so he shouldn’t have been so surprised to hear the news.  However, he felt like a failure, like a terrible person, to have abandoned his first and truest friend for the last few years of his precious life.  When the grief overwhelmed him, Makkachin would lick his face and hands until he felt better.

 

His other companion was something of an enigma, though.  Victor was the perhaps the most excitable and friendly person that Yuuri had ever met, which was saying something since his best friend was Phichit.  While Phichit had forced himself into Yuuri’s life with bright smiles and never-ending patience with Yuuri’s anxiety and quirks, Victor was proving to be on a whole other level.

 

“Yuuri, we should get to know each other since we’ll be living together!  I want to know everything about you~” Victor declared, climbing onto the bed and leaning over Yuuri.  “What is your home like?  Why were you running in the woods that day that I found you?”

 

Yuuri found himself backing across the bed until he hit the wall, while Victor crawled closer and closer, loose robe falling open to reveal his toned chest.  “Do you have a lover?”

 

“Eh?!!?!”  Yuuri exclaimed at the unexpected question, feeling his face flush.  “No…”

 

“What about ex-lovers?”  Victor asked, seemingly more even more excited.

 

“N-no comment.”

 

“Let’s talk about me then!  My first lover was—” Yuuri frantically started flailing until he managed to get Victor to stop talking.

 

That was the first of many such strange and uncomfortable conversations that Yuuri had with Victor.  Initially, he thought it might be due to the fact that Victor might not know that much about human customs and standards since he was an elemental, but so was Phichit and he managed to be normal enough.  So Yuuri figured it must just be that Victor didn’t have boundaries…

 

That’s not to say that Yuuri disliked Victor.  In fact, he found him to be charming, earnest, and kind, not to mention he was the most attractive being that Yuuri had ever seen.  Honestly, Yuuri was quite enraptured by Victor, which was exactly why he was so intimidated by him.  For how could a timid, social inept, weak human ever be able to measure up?  And so Yuuri the only thing he was good at:  avoiding his problems.

 

In this case, his problem was Victor aggressively trying to befriend him.

 

“Yuuri~, let’s go to the hot springs together!”  To which he muttering something about not being in the mood.

 

“Yuuri~, let’s eat together!”  To which Yuuri replied that he wasn’t hungry and just wanted to sleep.

 

“Yuuri~, let’s sleep together!”  To which Yuuri merely slammed the door in Victor’s face and then spent the next several hours being eaten up by guilt for treated Victor so badly.

 

Unfortunately for Yuuri, Victor hadn’t let that attitude go on longer than a day, after which he forced his way into Yuuri’s room and lifted him out of bed to carry him to the hot springs anyway.  Once they were both relaxing in the warm water (Victor abundantly more comfortable being nude together), Victor again tried to get Yuuri to break out of his shell.

 

“I understand that you don’t feel well, but you’re going to make yourself sicker this way, my dear Yuuri.  But no need to worry!  I will gladly become your caretaker!  Just tell me what sort of relationship you would be most comfortable with.  Perhaps I should be a father figure?  A brother?  A friend?  Well, then what about a lover?”

 

“NOOO!”  Yuuri suddenly seemed to come alive, splashing water this way and that as he frantically waved his arms and head around.  “You don’t have to be anyone but yourself, Victor.  I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you.  I didn’t want you to see all of my shortcomings because then you wouldn’t like me anymore…”

 

Victor smiled softly at him then.  “Oh sweet Yuuri, you don’t need to worry about that.  Nothing could make me stop liking you!  How about we both agree to just be ourselves and have a relationship filled with trust?”

 

Yuuri nodded shyly, blushing.  He let himself relax into the water while Victor chattered on about some of the other elementals that he knew.

 

Their friendship blossomed after that, and they spent all day in each other’s company.  Yuuri’s favorite thing to do was sit outside, bundled up in coats and blankets with Makkachin, and watch Victor skate.  It was the most beautiful thing that Yuuri had ever seen, and it made him itch to dance like nothing else had in such a long time.

 

“Hi Yuuri!”  Victor called as he waved at Yuuri while doing some graceful backwards steps.

 

“Hello Victor!”  Yuuri shouted back, laughing.  “I wish I could skate with you.”

 

Victor looked excited at the idea, and hurried across the ice and back to Yuuri’s side.  “I could teach you once your ankle heals.”

 

Yuuri looked up at Victor with wide eyes.  “You will?!?!  You would let me stay here with you longer?”

 

Victor grasped Yuuri’s hands in his own gloved ones.  “Nothing would make me happier than having you stay here with me for as long as you wish to.”

 

Yuuri flushed from the roots of his hair to the tips of his ears down below the collar of his shirt.  He nervously cleared his throat.  “I, um…  I like living here with you.  And I don’t really have anywhere else to go…”  He finished morosely.

 

Victor’s smile fell at the change in his companion’s attitude.  “Yuuri…  would you tell me what brought you here?  Why were you so far out into the woods, injured, frozen, and alone?”

 

Yuuri bit his lip, staring back up at Victor, searching for something in his eyes.  Finally, he nodded, and Victor sat next to him to listen patiently to his tale.

 

* * *

 

When Yuuri received word of Vicchan’s death, he could feel the earth crumble beneath his feet and darkness rush up to consume him.  He was devastated and had departed Detroit Kingdom without so much as a farewell to his friend Phichit or their dance instructor Celestino.

 

Somehow, returning to his childhood home had made the situation so much more terribly real to Yuuri, and he could do little aside from isolate himself in his room, hugging Vicchan’s collar to his chest as he wept.  For weeks, he did not speak to anyone – not to his parents, his sister, or his old dance instructor – and he would barely eat.

 

Something snapped in him one night when he was racked with such intense feelings of guilt that he could not sleep.  Which was how he ended up with his nose buried in one of the many magic books that he had collected over the years.  This particular tome was one that had been difficult to obtain, as it had been banned in most kingdoms generations ago.  Initially, he had only gotten it to satiate his endless curiosity about magic, but now he thought for the first time to actually attempt one of the spells:  _Resurrection._

It had been stupid and reckless, but Yuuri was desperate and he just wanted to hold his puppy again.  He should have known better, especially because Hasetsu was violently against any and all things magical, and he had already been shunned for even having a passing interest in magic.

 

It was in the dead of night on a full moon that someone found him on his knees weeping before a magical circle with Vicchan’s remains in the center, weeping because _it hadn’t worked and Vicchan was really gone forever_.

 

He jerked upright when he heard the rustling behind him, only to see someone looking at him in utter terror and disgust.  They turned and ran back to the village screaming for help.

 

Yuuri scrambled to his feet and sprinted back to his childhood home to say goodbye to his family one last time before he was chased into the woods by a mob carrying weapons, wanting to burn him alive for his crimes.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri’s voice was shaking as he finished his story.  “I fell down a hill while I was running, which was how I got injured.”

 

There was silence for a few moments before Yuuri felt Victor’s arms wrap around him and pull him into his chest.

 

“I am so sorry that you have been through such a horrible experience, Yuuri, and I am so happy that I found you that night before something worse might have befallen you.”

 

Yuuri hugged him back tightly at those words, not even caring that he was getting tears all over Victor’s shirt.

 

“Actually, I can relate somewhat…  Centuries ago, when I first moved to Hasestu Kingdom and made it my domain, I lived in the village with townspeople.  Over the years, some of the humans began to blame me for their inability to grow crops and for their loved ones who caught chills and passed away.  I was driven out of the village, and forced to live in exile in the woods until the humans began to forget my very existence.  I was alone for a very long time, until I stumbled upon Makkachin.”

 

The dog perked up at the sound of his name, and Victor removed one hand from Yuuri to pet his dog as he softly continued his story.

 

“He was nearly frozen to death, yet he still tried to lick my hands and wag his tail when I pet him.  I breathed life back into him by binding our souls together, and he has lived with me ever since.  He will never be able to live and die as dogs normally should, but I am eternally grateful for his companionship.”

 

Yuuri was sitting up now, petting Makkachin as well.  He stared at the dog in awe as he listened to Victor’s story.  He turned his awed gaze to Victor, grasping the elemental’s face in his hands to claim his full attention.

 

“I believe that Makkachin is also grateful for you and happy to have met you, Victor.”  Yuuri locked eyes with Victor so that he would feel the truth of his words.  “I know I am…”

 

Victor stared back with wide eyes, gasping at Yuuri’s confession.  A flush spread across his cheeks that mirrored Yuuri’s own blush.  “Yuuri…”

 

They stared at each other for a few more moments before Victor flung himself forward at Yuuri, surprising him by locking their lips together in a clumsy but passionate kiss.


	5. Once Upon A Dream

At first, Yuuri was so startled that he couldn't believe what was happening. But there was no denying the way that Victor's smooth, cold lips pressed against his as they both fell backwards onto the ground. Yuuri found himself happily wrapping his arms around Victor, deepening the kiss.

 

When the two separated, Victor cupping the back of Yuuri's head as they stared fondly at each other, Yuuri smiled shyly.

 

"It was the only thing I could think of to surprise you as you have surprised me."

 

"Is that so?" Yuuri said, smiling even more. "Well, just so you know... that was my first kiss..."

 

Yuuri was sure that he had never been so red in his life, but he wanted to share everything with Victor. And going based on how awestruck Victor looked as he brought a gloved hand up to his lips, it seemed he would not mock Yuuri for his inexperience.

 

"Yuuri, I've taken something precious from you, my darling." Victor whispered with a devious smirk. "Shall I have your second as well?"

 

Covering his face with a groan, Yuuri lay completely still for long enough that Victor pulled back.

 

"Yuuri?" The elemental asked in concern. "Oh no... I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have-"

 

He was cut off as Yuuri sat up suddenly and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

 

At Victor's bewildered look, Yuuri burst out laughing, hugging the other as tightly as he could. It only took a moment for Victor to start laughing as well.

 

"What a mean trick. I don't know if I'll ever recover..." Victor dramatically raised the back of his hand to his forehead as he let his body fall limp in Yuuri's arms. "Only true love's kiss will revive me!"

 

Yuuri stifled his laughter at Victor's antics, trying to play along. "Oh no! My beloved Victor has been slain by my own hand! I must cure him with true love's kiss!"

 

He gently laid Victor on the ground, silently giggling as he waved Makkachin over to slobber doggy kisses all over his owner.

 

Victor sat up immediately, laughing with Yuuri as he hugged Makkachin. As their laughter died down, they gazed at each other again. Yuuri felt shy again when he saw the passion and affection in Victor's eyes.

 

Victor brought a hand up to cup Yuuri's cheek. "I love you, Yuuri."

 

Yuuri gasped, gripping the hand on his cheek. "I-I-I..." He closed his eyes to gather himself. "I love you, too."

 

Yuuri's face was burning as Victor leaned in for one more gentle kiss. Neither had ever been so happy.

 

* * *

 

The following weeks were amazing. The two had been close before, but now they were inseparable. Despite Yuuri's initial embarrassment, he'd grown used to Victor's constant physical affection rather quickly. The elemental seemed to crave physical contact at all times, whether it be holding Yuuri close while he slept or just resting a hand on his back while he walked short distances without his crutches.

 

It was on one such day that Yuuri finally asked a question that had been nagging at him for a while.

 

"Why do you wear gloves all the time?"

 

Victor looked at him in such shock that Yuuri almost regretted asking. "Well, it's because you hate how cold they are."

 

"What?"  It was Yuuri's turn to be bemused.  "Where would you get such an idea?  Victor, if I hated how cold you were, would I kiss you or sleep with you?"

 

"But when you were sick, you recoiled from my touch!"

 

"I was panicking and you were a stranger!"

 

"Was not!"

 

"I can assure you, I definitely was panicking."

 

"No, I was not a stranger!"

 

"What the hell is that supposed the mean?"  Yuuri asked in frustration with the stupid argument they were having.

 

Victor slapped a hand over his mouth.  He sighed in annoyance.  "It doesn't mean anything."

 

Yuuri watched in disbelief as tears started dripping from Victor's eyes.  He reached across to wipe at them even as they started freezing against the elemental's cheeks.

 

"Are you upset?"

 

"What do you think?"  Victor spat at him.

 

Yuuri recoiled a little bit before responding.  "I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong."

 

Victor frowned up at Yuuri before speaking.  "I wasn't a stranger.  We'd met before.  You just forgot about me."

 

"Sorry, but I don't think I could ever forget you..."

 

"But you did!  You came into my realm when you were a child, and you had a tiny puppy that looked like Makkachin!  We became friends, and I watched after you for years after that.  But you didn't even remember me..."

 

Yuuri stared at Victor with wide eyes and a racing heart.  "B-but I thought.."

 

Victor hung his head, dejected.

 

"I thought it was a dream!"

 

Victor's head shot up as he met Yuuri's equally wide eyes, searching, hoping.  "You mean..?"

 

"I dreamt every night about an angel dancing in woods...  That's why I was so obsessed with dancing, and with magic, and..  and...  I named my dog after you!"

 

Victor pulled Yuuri into a sudden hug, laughing and crying simultaneously.  Yuuri hugged him back, realizing for the first time that he was, in fact, now in a relationship with his childhood crush.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri was practically vibrating with excitement.  Victor chuckled at him as he laced ice skates onto Yuuri's feet, taking special care with his recently healed ankle.

 

"Yuuri darling, I know you're excited, but you have to promise to take it slow."

 

"Yes, yes, yes.  Come on, let's go!"

 

Yuuri hopped to his feet, wobbling a little at the unfamiliar feeling of blades beneath him.  Victor took his hands, expertly maneuvering backwards as he led Yuuri to the edge of the lake.

 

Yuuri watched in wonder as Victor stepped onto the lake and the ice visibly thickened under him as he moved, not that Victor was aware of his influence.  His attention was drawn away from the other as he stepped onto the ice himself, and his feet nearly shot out from under him.

 

Victor quickly caught him around the waist and held him against his side.  "Careful, love."

 

Smiling up at his lover, Yuuri slowly started moving with Victor.

 

It wasn't long before Yuuri was confidently sliding across the ice on his own, maneuvering forwards and backwards like a professional.

 

"Phichit did tell me that you were an accomplished dancer, but you still surprise me."

 

Yuuri blushed sweetly and quickly skated away.

 

Some time later, while Yuuri was experimenting with some more complicated step sequences, they were interrupted by a shout from the edge of the ice.

 

"HEY VICTOR!!!!!"

 

The two looked over to see an angry blond figure fuming at them.  Yuuri watched as steam rose from his feet, where ice was rapidly melting.

 

"Yuri~!"  Victor called happily, waving at him.

 

Yuuri looked at him confused before realizing that the stranger was also named Yuri.

 

"Ah, I see that this could be confusing.  I know!  We can call you 'Yurio' instead."  Victor said, as he skated towards the fire elemental.

 

"FUCK THAT!  THERE'S ONLY ENOUGH ROOM FOR ONE YURI AND THAT'S M-"

 

"Now, none of that, Yurio."  Victor chastised as he stepped onto the shore and physically started pulling the other elemental towards the palace.  He threw over his shoulder at Yuuri, "I'll be right back dear.  Be sure to take a break when you get tired."

 

With that, Yuuri found himself alone on the ice.

 

"Well he sure is a charmer."  He said looking at Makkachin, who just barked happily in response.

 

Yuuri decided he'd rather stay out here and skate for a while longer than go back inside and potentially have to deal with the angry, he assumed, fire elemental.

 

After a few minutes, he started to feel a bit bored with the basic steps.  "How about I try a couple jumps?"  He asked Makkachin again, receiving a tail wag for his efforts.

 

And so Yuuri built up some momentum as he had seen Victor do before flinging himself into the air.  There was a moment of exilerating freedom, before Yuuri clumsily crashed down on one foot and hand.  Before he could so much as right himself, there was a dreadful groaning sound, and the ice gave way beneath him.

 

Yuuri's last thought as he plunged into the icy darkness was that the ice must have gotten thinner when Victor left.


	6. Cold and Broken

_Pain… Darkness… Cold…_

 

Yuuri felt pain beyond anything he’d ever felt before.  Cold stabbed into his muscles like thousands of needles, making him seize and gasp water into his lungs.  It _burned_.

 

Yuuri felt weightless, even as he was pulled downwards by the weight of his drenched clothes and metal skates.  After the initial seizing, he found himself numb and limp.

 

Yuuri felt strangely peaceful, drifting alone in the darkness.  His muscles and lungs had stopped burning and his consciousness was clouding over until he felt dreamy.

 

Yuuri felt nothing.

 

* * *

 

Victor was positively glowing as he dragged Yuri away from the frozen lake, into his palace, and up to the room that used to belong to Yuri.  With an angry wave, Yuri started the fireplace blazing to make himself more comfortable.

 

Victor smiled indulgently at the irritated fire elemental.  “Now what can I do for you this fine day, Yurio?”

 

Yuri bristled, “I told you not to call me that!  If you’re going to insist on keeping that pig around, then he can get a new name!”  He took a deep breath the calm himself.  “I’m only here because Yakov sent me.  He’s worried because you haven’t come home to Moscow Kingdom in a while.”

 

“Hmm…  I guess I’ve just been distracted with Yuuri recently.”  Victor replied, drifting over to the window so that he could watch Yuuri skating.  “He really is the most amazing creature. It’s his first time skating, and after having a broken ankle too, but he’s already doing so well.”

 

Yuri stomped over to the window to watch as well.  Even he couldn’t deny that the human was surprisingly skilled, but he’d never tell Victor that. “I still don’t see why you’re so interested in a _human_.”

 

Victor sighed dreamily as he pressed a hand to his heart.  “I think he might be my soulmate.”

 

Yuri sputtered, turning an incredulous stare on Victor.  “You…  You’re in love with…  WITH A HUMAN?!?!”

 

Victor smiled and turned away from the window to looked at his friend.  “I am.  I love him so much!”

 

Yuri opened his mouth to tell Victor exactly how stupid he was being, but he never got the chance as he was interrupted by the sound of frantic barking.

 

Both elementals turned back to the window to see a rather alarming scene.  No longer was Yuuri skating elegantly across the ice.  In fact, Yuuri was nowhere to be seen.  In his place was a gaping hole in the ice with cracks rapidly spreading across the ice around it.  Makkachin barked non-stop as he darted towards the hole and dove in.

 

“YUURI!”  Victor screamed as he disappeared in a swirl of snow and reappeared at the lake, rushing at the hole after Makkachin.  However, the moment that Victor touched the ice the cracks started melding back together, and he watched in horror as the hole sealed itself back over in a thick sheet of ice.

 

“NO!”  Victor howled, dropping to his knees and pounding at the ice, but his wild emotions worked against him and thickened the ice with every strike of his fist.  “Dammit!”

 

“Victor stop!”  Suddenly scalding hands gripped his shoulders and violently threw him away from the lake.  Victor could only watch as Yuri placed his hands on the ice, melting it instantly.

 

Makkachin broke the surface, teeth gripping a disturbingly pale Yuuri by the shirt collar.  Victor watched helplessly as his dog dragged his love out of the water and onto the shore.  Immediately, Victor was at Yuuri’s side, cautiously reaching out to touch him out of fear of freezing him.  He couldn’t detect the faintest sign of breath or heartbeat.  Makkachin nuzzled Yuuri’s face whimpering, and Victor looked on numbly.

 

Hands gripped Victor’s shoulders again, gently this time, and he looked up to see Phichit, who looked sad for once.  _Yuri must have called him.  That was smart.  I should have thought of that.  I can’t do anything right…_

 

Phichit crouched down on the other side of Yuuri, rather than pushing Victor away.  Without a word, he began rhythmically compressing Yuuri’s chest and then breathing into his mouth.  Over and over and over and over and over…

 

Finally Yuuri sputter and coughed, and Phichit rolled him over as he vomited up cold water.  Yuuri fell still again after that, but he was breathing this time, if only just.  Phichit lifted him effortlessly.

 

“He needs to be warmed up _now_.  Even then, he might not…”  Phichit stopped himself, shaking his head, and started sprinting to the palace with Victor and Yuri on his heels.

 

Phichit brought Yuuri back to the room with the fireplace, which thankfully was quite warm from the fire that Yuri had started earlier.  He stripped off Yuuri’s wet clothes efficiently and then covered him with every blanket within reach before stepping back to look at the other two elementals.  They all stood in complete silence for several minutes, watching the human anxiously.  Watching as his breathing slowed more and more, lips a disturbing shade of blue.

 

“He’s… he’s too cold…  it’s too late.”  Phichit’s eyes were wide and glassy with unshed tears.

 

Victor finally broke his silence. “Yuri is a fire elemental!  Surely he can warm Yuuri up, can’t you, Yura?”  Victor looked to his friend with a facsimile of hope in his eyes.

 

Yuri held up both his hands, blanching.  “I can’t.”

 

“This is no time for your prejudices against humans!”  Victor screamed, tears finally spilling from his eyes and freezing on his cheeks.  “HELP HIM!!!”

 

“I CAN’T!”  Yuri shouted back helplessly.  “I’ll burn him!”

 

Victor rushed at Yuri and grabbed his face in a bone-crushing grip.

 

Phichit was suddenly there, trying to pry Victor away from Yuri.  “He’s right, Victor!  If Yuri were to touch him, it would just shock his system and kill him faster and more painfully!”

 

Victor retracted his hand and stared at the two in horror, before looking back at Yuuri who lay still on the bed, no longer breathing.  He took a few trembling steps before collapsing onto the bed to stare at his lover – his frozen, fragile, _mortal_ lover.

 

Victor let out a broken wail as he pulled Yuuri’s limp body away from the bed to cradle him against his chest, his tears falling fast enough that they dripped down his chin and onto Yuuri’s hair before they had time to freeze.  He sobbed harder as he cradled Yuuri’s face against his throat, missing the feeling of warm gentle breaths that he’d grown so accustomed to feeling as they slept together over the months.

 

“Vitya…”  Yuri took a step towards the other, hand outstretched.  “He’s gone.  You need to-”

 

Victor’s head shot violently upwards and he blasted the two other elementals back with a brutal wall of ice.  “GET OUT!”  When they didn’t immediately obey him, he shouted again, punctuating his words with blasts of ice.  “GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!”

 

Finally giving up the attack, Victor let his arm fall to tenderly cradle Yuuri’s back.  “Leave us alone.”

 

Phichit and Yuri looked at each other solemnly before each disappearing with a puff of air, leaving Victor alone in his grief.

 

Victor crushed Yuuri’s cold and broken body closer to him still, weeping.  “Yuuri, darling…  Please wake up, my love.  _Please_...”

 

He was startled out of his reverie by Makkachin gently nosing at where his hand was pressed to Yuuri’s back.  Victor’s eyes flew open as he looked away from Yuuri for a brief moment to look at his dog.  The dog that he’d bound his soul to all those years ago to keep him from freezing to death.

 

Frantically, Victor lay Yuuri back down on the bed, pressing their foreheads together and laying his hands over Yuuri’s chest, feeling for _anything_.  There, just there was the slightest beat of his heart, the faint fluttering of his soul still holding on.

 

Victor smiled, eyes falling shut as he reached into the depths of his core, the same essence that gave him his powers, deep into the most private part of him.  With no hesitation, he pushed his life force out, guiding it carefully to meet with Yuuri’s faint and flickering soul.  He cradled Yuuri’s soul gently in his hands, knowing that it was the most precious thing he would ever touch.  He poured more and more of himself into Yuuri, feeling Yuuri strengthen and flow back to him in return.

 

Gasping, Victor’s eyes flew open in wonder and met glowing brown eyes sparkling back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has commented, left kudos, stuck around... It means the world to me! The next chapter is an epilogue and then this one will be finished.


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